In order to conserve floor space in a room it is known to manufacture a bed that can be folded up when not in use. Such beds are sometimes designed to resemble furniture such as a cabinet, armoire, sofa, or shelf, adding to the esthetic appearance of the room. U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,932 to Voorhis, for example, teaches a wall-mounted foldable bed cabinet that can be folded up against a wall when not in use. However, mounting the bed cabinet to a wall takes time, can cause damage to the building structure, and prevents the cabinet from being mobile.
U.S. Pat. No. 218,678 to Koskul teaches a foldout bed that resembles a stand-alone cabinet when in the folded configuration. The Koskul design advantageously avoids the need to mount the bed to a wall by allowing each face of the cabinet to fold open. However, numerous problems remain in the art of such “dual-opening” cabinet beds. First, the mattress in Kodkul's bed is made in two unconnected parts, which can be uncomfortable during sleep. Second, the mechanism for unfolding the bed and supporting the mattress is complex, which adds unnecessary weight to the cabinet and introduces unnecessary points of failure.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,851,139 to Arason teaches a dual-opening foldout cabinet bed having wheels. However, numerous disadvantages are associated with this design. First, the center of gravity is too high in the folded up configuration, making the cabinet very instable, especially when pushed or moved. Second, the cabinet is too close to the ground when in the open configuration, making access to the bed difficult and undesirable for sitting and sleeping. Third, the design has many sharp edges, making the cabinet unsafe. Fourth, opening the cabinet requires much caution since the sides can fall down by themselves. Fifth, when the cabinet is in the open configuration, the mattress is not fully enclosed and can slide away from the cabinet. Sixth, an innerspring mattress is too rigid to be stored in the folded configuration within the cabinet. Finally, the foam (futon) mattress used in the cabinet bunches up when it is stored, creating dents, creases, and an irregular and uncomfortable sleeping surface. In sum, various defects remain in the art of foldout cabinet beds.
Voorhis, Koskul, Arason, and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Thus, there is still a need for a rolling foldout cabinet bed that is simple, safe, easy to use, and functions with a comfortable innerspring mattress.